Five years of competency-based medical education in Canadian urology
A national survey of senior resident and faculty satisfaction and perspectives
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5489/cuaj.8947Keywords:
Competency-based medical education, Competence by design, Medical educationAbstract
INTRODUCTION: In 2018, competency-based medical education (CBME) was introduced to Canadian urology residency training. We examined learner and faculty experiences with CBME five years post-implementation.
METHODS: Two online surveys were developed from a scoping review of CBME literature and expert consultation. They covered aspects including unintended consequences, satisfaction, and challenges. They were distributed to Canadian urology residency program directors, faculty, and senior residents from January to June 2023. Respondents rated agreement/ satisfaction using a five-point Likert scale. Descriptive analyses considered scores of 4–5 as agreement/satisfaction and 1–2 as disagreement/dissatisfaction.
RESULTS: Twenty-nine faculty members (including 10/13 [77%] program directors) and 33/63 (53%) senior residents responded. Overall, 69% of respondents are unsatisfied with CBME, 19% are neutral, and 11% are satisfied. Anxiety and/or fatigue with CBME are reported by 76% of faculty and 66% of residents. CBME is seen as burdensome: 61% of residents frequently trigger assessment requests, while 66% of faculty feel overwhelmed by the volume of requested assessments. Faculty members (83%) and residents (73%) find CBME time-consuming. Over 50% of respondents believe CBME failed to de-emphasize time-based learning, individualize progression, rapidly identify struggling residents, or improve feedback quality. Over 60% agree that CBME has clarified learning expectations and training stages.
CONCLUSIONS: There is prevailing dissatisfaction with CBME within Canadian urology training programs, impacting the well-being of both faculty and residents while falling short of delivering personalized training; however, CBME has provided a structured and transparent framework for trainee advancement. Improvements to CBME are needed beyond its initial five years.
Downloads
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
You, the Author(s), assign your copyright in and to the Article to the Canadian Urological Association. This means that you may not, without the prior written permission of the CUA:
- Post the Article on any Web site
- Translate or authorize a translation of the Article
- Copy or otherwise reproduce the Article, in any format, beyond what is permitted under Canadian copyright law, or authorize others to do so
- Copy or otherwise reproduce portions of the Article, including tables and figures, beyond what is permitted under Canadian copyright law, or authorize others to do so.
The CUA encourages use for non-commercial educational purposes and will not unreasonably deny any such permission request.
You retain your moral rights in and to the Article. This means that the CUA may not assert its copyright in such a way that would negatively reflect on your reputation or your right to be associated with the Article.
The CUA also requires you to warrant the following:
- That you are the Author(s) and sole owner(s), that the Article is original and unpublished and that you have not previously assigned copyright or granted a licence to any other third party;
- That all individuals who have made a substantive contribution to the article are acknowledged;
- That the Article does not infringe any proprietary right of any third party and that you have received the permissions necessary to include the work of others in the Article; and
- That the Article does not libel or violate the privacy rights of any third party.
